Wednesday Auburn Football Recruiting Notebook

Jason Caldwell

11/23/2016

News and notes surrounding Auburn's football recruiting as the Tigers look for a strong finish in the 2017 class.

Hunter Announcing On Christmas Eve

One of the top targets on Auburn's board at any position is five-star safety Devon Hunter and he's announced a decision date of Dec. 24. Expected to visit Alabama this weekend, Hunter will get to see the Tigers in person once again after visiting for a rout of Arkansas in late October. Also looking at Florida, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, Hunter is expected to visit both the Tar Heels and Hokies in December before his announcement.

Already with commitments from Malcolm Askew, Carlito Gonzalez and Jordyn Peters, all who are capable of playing on the edge of the defense at cornerback or at the nickel position if needed, adding Hunter would be a huge get for Auburn's defense.

Wide Receiver Targets

After signing a big class of wide receivers a year ago, the Tigers and Coach Kodi Burns are looking for size and speed in this year's class and two players that are getting a long look at the moment are four-star Noah Igbinoghene from Hewitt-Trussville and big Tamorrion Terry from Turner County in Georgia. One of the fastest players in the country, Igbinoghene added an offer from Auburn this fall and is a player to keep an eye on for Auburn. Playing for former Gus Malzahn quarterback and assistant Josh Floyd at Hewitt-Trussville, Igbinoghene has a great feel already for Auburn's offense and with the ability to stretch the field he would give the Tigers another big-time weapon on the perimeter.

At nearly 6-4, Terry has the size and length to be a real threat on the next level. A player that has flown under the radar for much of his senior year, Terry ran a 4.54 second 40-yard dash at last year's MVP Camp in Georgia and now close to 200 pounds he has a unique combination of size and speed. If he gets an Auburn offer late he could be just the guy to fill out the class for the Tigers.

Auburn could get some help from the walk-on ranks in this year's class as well with Gardendale's Kevin Howard telling Inside The Auburn Tigers that he plans to walk on next fall for the Tigers. Around 6-2, 200 at the moment, Howard is expected to get bigger and stronger and could be a fit at the hybrid TE position down the line.

State Keeps Producing Players

Last Friday night I had the opportunity to watch two of the state's best players battle in Montgomery when Malik Cunningham and Park Crossing outlasted Kadarius Toney and Blount 54-51 despite 493 yards passing and 108 rushing from the Florida commitment. Helping him out were a couple of 2018 wide receivers that are definitely names to remember, Collins Woods III and Lebarron Jones. A long receiver that can stretch the field, Woods is 6-3 and can go up and get the ball. A dynamic playmaker, Jones had 52 catches for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. It won't be a surprise to see both become household names by this time next year.

Gus Malzahn, Rhett Lashlee and former Auburn and current Troy assistant Al Pogue were all on hand to watch the game at Cramton Bowl with the Auburn coaches watching 2018 offensive lineman Marcus Jenkins very closely. Known as "Tank", Jenkins has continued to improve his conditioning since his freshman season and is now an experienced and physical offensive lineman for the Thunderbirds.

Speaking of the two quarterbacks, I had seen Cunningham several times before but it was my first time to see Toney live in a game and he didn't disappoint. Although he's just around 6-0 tall, Toney has some serious quarterback skills and it wouldn't be a stretch to see him successful on the next level if he gets a shot at the position. Right now he's headed to Florida as an athlete, the same thing he was offered as by Auburn. I don't expect that to change but if the Tigers have a change of heart he could be a player to keep an eye on.

The same is true of former Auburn baseball commitment Bubba Thompson. Grabbing football offers from both Tennessee and Ole Miss, Thompson is definitely on the Tigers' radar for football following his strong senior year at McGill-Toolen and it will take a football offer to get him on the Plains after he decided he wants to play both sports in college. He'll have a chance to showcase his skills and impress the Auburn coaches in a week when the Yellow Jackets take on Hoover in the 7A title game at Jordan-Hare Stadium to open the Super 7. If he puts on a show against the top defense in the state he could inch even closer to a football offer from the Tigers.